


Bottled love

by Cosmic_choclet



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Sheithlentines 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-31 13:19:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13975951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cosmic_choclet/pseuds/Cosmic_choclet
Summary: Shiro is a witch who makes love potions. Little does he know that the half elf hunter, Keith, who lives on the edge of town has fallen in love with him. Is it a potion? Or is it true love?Sheithlentines gift for Ruka





	Bottled love

**Author's Note:**

> This is very late and I am very sorry!  
> I really wanted to have it finished early, but words kept coming and comng and I just couldn't stop them. I hope you like it. And happy 14th of March!

The life of a village witch was pretty simple.

Waking up, washing your face, getting dressed and having breakfast with your antisocial black cat. That was Shiro's whole morning routine. Nothing exciting or memorable about it.

That's how it had been for years, at least.

Shiro took the potions he had prepared the previous day and put them carefully on his belt pouch, took some fruit to eat at mid-morning and left to open his little pharmacy. The way was short and he made it on autopilot, twirling his keys on his finger while he whistle a soft tune.

All the streets looked as they always did but, as he approached his store, something disturbed his mental image: there was a little sack lying in front of his door.

Shiro leaned down to pick it up and looked to both sides of the street in search of whoever might have dropped it there. There weren't many people in the streets yet, as the stores were only now opening, and none of them paid any attention to him.

Without giving it much thought, Shiro opened the door and took the sack with him inside. If the owner noticed they've lost it and came asking for it, he'll give it to them. He left the sack at the side of his counter and went on with his duties.

Most of his clients just visited him looking for medicine for common diseases and physical pains. Those were easy to make.

But Shiro liked challenges. He liked hard work. And making love potions is hard work.

One must be very careful of not mistaking any quantities or missing any step. Always be mindful of what the intended outcome of the potion is. One couldn't just leave as infatuation what was suppose to be love. Or turn self-worth into narcissism.

That's why Shiro loved making those potions. He could use all his knowledge and time to make something refined and give people hope.

Although, the potions weren't all powerful, and people sometimes had more faith in them than they should. They were a spark, a trigger of emotions in whoever took them. And it was the client's responsibility to turn that spark into a fire. To talk to the person -or to themselves- and build the relationship they wanted. Whether it worked or not was mostly out of Shiro's hands.

Shiro liked to think of himself as a love gardener. He created the seeds and handed them for people to grow and take care of. And he was always so proud of seeing their clients' relationships bloom and thrive.

His first client of the day, who entered mere minutes after he opened was one of those.

Shiro had been happy to make a potion for him, even if his circumstances weren't ideal. It was a man desperately wanting to help his wife, who just refused to hold their newborn baby. No matter how much he cried, his mother just wouldn't touch it or even get out of bed. Shiro understood the severity of the situation and had spent the previous day cooking the perfect potion so he could have it first thing in the morning.

The man was so grateful he had paid Shiro double the prize they'd agreed. A prize Shiro had secretly lowered in the first place, not wanting to exploit this poor man's desperation.

He could really ask for much more for his potions, if only for the superfluous people who just wanted their fleeting crush to pay them attention. But when people like this man, who were going through terrible emotional anguish, asked for his help, he couldn't bring himself to rise the prize. Even if his skills merited it.

At the end of the day, he earned most of his money with common medicine. So he could afford to bargain for his magic.

The rest of the day went without a fuss. More of his uneventful life.

He tidied the store a bit and prepared to leave and go home to his cat when he noticed the sack still standing at his counter.

Whoever the owner was they didn't come back for it.

He took it in his hands. It was fairly light, so it wasn't money or any precious stone. Maybe that's why no one reclaimed it. He pressed on it and there was nothing more than the soft sound of the sack cloth rubbing against itself. He could feel something inside of it, like little fibres, but nothing he could recognize by touch.

Curiosity picked at Shiro and he decided to open it. Just to take a look, he could always tie it back and no one would know. And if the owner didn't want it, maybe he could keep whatever was inside.

He untied the sack and inside were lots of small white flowers. He reached inside carefully to pick one and it dragged a bunch of other flowers joined by short stems.

They were carrot umbels.

Shiro recognized perfectly, because he'd used them many times on his strongest love potions.

Carrot flowers were really hard to find in the market, especially at this time of the end of summer, when carrots should be bearing seeds already.

Why would someone be carrying a sack of carrot flowers? People don't eat that part and one would not cut them before they already contained seeds. Shiro could not think of any use for them except for the one he gave them.

Maybe there was a new witch in town and they've lost it when they came to introduce themselves. It is strange that he hadn't heard of them. He lived in a small village, after all.

But what were the chances of something only he could use appearing magically at his door? Could he keep it? They would be so useful to him.

Shiro stop that train of thought for a moment. He couldn't just keep everything he found on the floor. Especially if they actually belonged to another witch, he knew how valuable some ingredients are. It would be so mean to steal something from them. Shiro didn't mind a bit of competition.

So Shiro closed the sack and decided that if no one came to look for it the next day, he would keep it and use it before the flowers wilted away.

The next day, no one came looking for the sack.

* * *

 

A couple of weeks passed since the sack incident and Shiro had mostly forgotten about it, when he found another small sack at his door.

He picked it up and looked to his sides. Like last time, no one acknowledged him.

Unlike last time, Shiro didn't wait until the end of the day to look inside, doing so immediately after he entered the store.

Tinder fungus. The sack was full of black pieces of tinder fungus. Shiro took a piece, the ragged look and red-brown colour where it had been cut where unmistakable.

Shiro couldn't believe it.

Tinder fungus was well known for attracting magic power. Using tinder fungus to light up the fire when cooking potions made their effect even stronger. Using it meant that less quantity of a potion would have the desired effect and he could be saving a lot on ingredients.

Shiro hugged the sack towards him, happy like he had just won the lottery. He let laugh bubble out of him, but when he regained his composure he was assaulted with a million doubts.

This was the second time he found something very valuable for him laying at his door. Someone could have lost it the first time, but a second time?

 _It can't be coincidence_ , Shiro thought.

Could it really be a new witch in town? And they were trying to meet him every morning before he opened and always forgot something? It didn't seem like it. Who could be so careless? And if they really wanted to meet him, he had his opening hours written in a small sign on his door.

No, this wasn't some coincidence. He had to dig around.

That day Shiro asked every client that entered the store whether they knew if a new witch or healer was around town. No one had heard of any.

He spent the next weeks asking every neighbour and friend he encountered the same questions. But no one knew of any other witch.

Not even Samuel Holt, the doctor in town, who frequently sent his patients to Shiro with their prescribed remedies, knew anything.

“Maybe you have a secret admirer.” had suggested Pidge, the doctor's daughter, with a sly smile.

Shiro wanted to laugh at the mere thought of someone liking him, but just dismissed her politely, claiming it was _anything_ other than that.

Only five days later, he found a little basket at his door. Its contents hidden by a thin white cloth.

He didn't even bother to enter the store before uncovering it.

The basket was full of mushrooms. Three distinct species in three separated mounds. There weren't that many, but Shiro was impressed.

_Was that a parasol mushroom? Those are so hard to find._

He could recognize the three species, having seen them and collected them many times before, but still the was a small note with the name of the species over every mound. It was written with graphite and the handwriting seemed relaxed and simple.

Confusing mushrooms was really dangerous and only a experienced person should go around collecting them. Who could have possibly left this here? He didn't know that many people with this knowledge. Almost all of them merchants -and the doctor's family- but he couldn't imagine any of them leaving this at his door. Not without telling him.

Shiro knew it was futile, but still looked to the sides, like the previous times, waiting for the mysterious gift bearer to appear.

They did not.

But Ms. Montgomery was sweeping the front of her store. Shiro walked to her.

“Good morning, Ms. Montgomery.”

“Oh, good morning Shiro, how are you?”

“I'm fine, thanks.” He hesitated for a moment, not knowing if asking about the basket would be too strange. “Hey, um, did you happen to see who dropped this at my door?” He pointed to the basket still laying on the floor.

“Oh, yes.”

Shiro perked up at that. Finally the mystery would be resolved!

“It was a young man, but I don't know who he is, so I can't give you a name.”

Or maybe not.

Shiro tried to not look too disappointed, he couldn't give up now. “How did he look like?” He asked. Maybe if he got a physical description he could recognize the culprit.

“Well, I didn't get to see his face well. He just put the basket at your door and left. But he had black hair and he was slim and not very tall.”

It was a very generic description and it didn't help Shiro at all. Plenty of people around these lands had black hair and most people were shorter than him. That description left him at the same place at he started.

“Sorry I can't help you more.” Apologized Ms. Montgomery apologized at seeing his dejected expression.

“Oh no, it's okay really. Thank you.”

Shiro said his farewell to Ms. Montgomery and went back to open his store.

The only thing he knew is that a young man with dark hair was deliberately leaving presents at his door.

 _Maybe Pidge is right and I do have a secret admirer_ , Shiro thought to himself, amused.

Shiro went behind the counter and left the basket at the floor beside him. He started working, bringing out the medicines that clients had requested to have everything ready for when they came. He didn't want to think about the basket thing much. There had to be a rational explanation for this. It was probably just a grateful client and nothing else.

But he couldn't help how his heart-rate picked at the thought of someone liking him.

And liking so much as to leave presents at his door.

He spent the whole day distracted. Going over every person he knew, trying to find out who could possibly be the present-giver. There were more than a few men that could fit the description. But none of them really looked like the kind of person that would, first of all like him and, second of all go out of their ways to give him things.

And after all, the person behind this must have had some basic knowledge of magic and potions. Everything he'd given Shiro was useful for him and for no one else in the village. No one had any reason to know about magic. And he didn't know anyone who did; except for the Holt family, that didn't fit the physical description already.

He kept going over it. Overanalysing every conversation he had, but found nothing.

* * *

One week later, Shiro found two knives at his door.

They were packed rather simply, wrapped in a thin cloth and tied with a little cord, so he had been expecting to find a bunch of fresh herbs like that time before. But when he picked the packet, it was heavy and firm. He took it inside, expectancy making his blood rush, and when he unwrapped the cloth he was presented with two sheathed knives.

Shiro gave a step back, momentarily shocked with fear. There was no way being given a knife could be a good omen.

He ran a hand over the fresh leather of the sheath, turning his torso away from it subconsciously like he was expecting the knife to jump at him at any moment, to magically move as if yielded by an invisible hand and stab him to death.

The knife stood at his counter unmoving.

Still warily, he took one out to examine it and the first thing he noticed was how light it felt in his hand. The handle had a firm yet comfortable grip, like it had been specially made to fit in his palm. Whoever had made this knew that the most important trait of any knife was in a comfortable handle.

Shiro took the second knife. It was larger -both in length and width- but it felt just as light. It was then that he realized he had been gifted kitchen knives. Their shape specific for cutting the ingredients for his potions.

The bigger one was a slicer, perfect for slicing and carving both the softest and hardest parts of plants and the smaller was perfect for more precise and thinner cuts.

Shiro felt relieved. The person who put them at his door wasn't sending him a thinly veiled threat.

He reached for the apple he had brought that day for a mid-morning snack and tried the smallest knife. It slice through the peel like it was warm butter, no friction at all. The blade followed the movement of his hand like it was an extension of his body and left an almost translucent peel behind it. He cut a slice of it so easily, it felt like the knife was caressing the flesh of the fruit more than cutting it.

Shiro was mesmerized, it was the best knife he had ever used.

He turned it around to better appreciated, awe in his eyes, and noticed a small purple crystal with a zigzagging emblem embedded in the side of the handle. The other knife had the same crystal.

He recognized it instantly, it was a symbol of the Marmoran elves.

It was an elven knife. Made of luxite.

Shiro huffed, his mouth stretching into an open mouthed smile. He shook his head in disbelief. A luxite knife. Those were so rare and high quality. It will last him a lifetime.

The knifes were so beautiful. Shiro passed his hand across the side of one, not being able to contain his admiration. The blade was perfectly straight, not a single dent on its surface or irregularity on its width. This was clearly the work of a experienced professional.

And then it downed on him, there was only one elf forgery in town. And it was also the only Marmoran one in the province.

Finally, a clue that could lead him to the gift-bearer.

Shiro made the decision to visit the forgery the next day first thing in the morning before he opened the pharmacy.

But as the morning passed, he changed his mind. They've been too many weeks of mystery, of blushing alone every time he thought of a possible secret admirer and of Matt's and Pidge's constant teasing. He didn't want to wait more.

So when afternoon fell, he grabbed the knives, closed the store, and made his way to the small out-of-town forgery that the group of elves owned. He didn't know whether they would be still be open and working and whether someone could attend him. He was too distracted with nervous rushed thoughts to realize any of that, and his heart was pumping so much blood to his legs he didn't notice how fast he was walking until he found himself at the door less than ten minutes later.

The door was wide open and he could hear the sounds of people working inside. A hammer hitting iron. A file sliding over a smooth surface.

His own knuckles knocking against the wooden frame of the door.

A man raised his head towards him immediately. He got up from his chair, leaving on the floor the arrow-heads he had been polishing. He was tall and broad, towering over Shiro, but moved with the grace of someone half his height. His pointy ears and long hair, tied in a braid over his shoulder, a clear sign of an elf.

He was clearly not the person he was looking for. Shiro looked behind him to the other men working inside. They all look as big as him.

“Can I help you?” Asked the elf, with a frown. He looked intimidating. The scar crossing his eye and his aged complexion made him look even less friendly.

“Sir?” the elf asked again.

That brought Shiro back from his shock. If only because he didn't want to annoy such a scary looking man.

“Ah, yes! My name is Shiro...” Shiro brought his hand in front of him as greeting and the man grabbed him from the shoulder and shook his forearm in turn.

“Kolivan.” He said and crossed his arms in front of him, “Now, how can I help you?”

“I- eh... this knifes.” Shiro held the knifes in front of him nervously. Kolivan leaned slightly down to look at them and Shiro waited for his answer to a question he hadn't asked.

“Keith's knives,” declared the man matter-of-factly “do you find any fault in them?”

It was a innocent question, but he made it sound like an accusation, like it was a personal insult to him to question the quality of their craft.

“No, no!” Shiro was quick to deny such a thing.“I just wanted to know who made them.”

“I did.” Kolivan admitted.

Shiro opened his eyes wide in surprise. This man did not fit the physical description he has been given. _At all_. He was huge. And despite elves being known for their long lifespan and youthful appearance, he looked ragged and seasoned, with some wrinkles around his eyes and completely white hair. He must be very old even for an elf.

Shiro looked back to the knives, confused.

Kolivan must have read his confusion, because he elaborated.

“I usually only make weapons for hunting an warring, so I was surprised when Keith asked me to make kitchen knives. It was an interesting challenge, I hope they work well?”

This time it sounded more like a genuine question. He seemed open for feedback.

“Yeah, they are perfect.” Shiro answered and meant it. Elven blades were known for their deathly file, lightness and durability and it all certainly applied to the knives he had been given. Shiro finally noticed something else the man had said. “I'm sorry, did you say _Keith_ asked you?”

Shiro didn't know any Keiths.

“Yes, he said he wanted to gift them to the town witch. I'm guessing that's you.”

“Yeah, I am” Shiro nodded in confirmation. “But um... I'm sorry, but who's Keith?”

The man gave him a puzzled look and Shiro could hear the other men stopping their work. They all turned to look at him. How they could have heard him over the noise of their chores was beyond Shiro.

Shiro was starting to feel very uncomfortable. They all stared at him silently, baffled like he had grown a second head.

“What do you mean 'who's Keith'?” Another man from the background asked confused.

Shiro didn't know how to answer. They seemed to be under the impression that he knew who this Keith guy was. He'd never seen any of them before so why would they assume he knew anyone anywhere.

And if Keith was his mysterious gifter, he had never introduced himself.

He hadn't even let himself be seen!

But having to explain that to all this men made Shiro realize just how strange the whole situation was.

There was a person that he had never met before giving him presents, very specific for his interests. Who didn't even introduce himself. Just leaving them at his door and disappearing.

That was really creepy, now that Shiro thought about it. He'd been convinced that it could be someone he knew and had let his friends delude him into thinking that it could mean something romantic, that he hadn't looked at it form an outside perspective.

“Wait, do you really don't know who Keith is?” The second man asked him as he came to the door.

Shiro shook his head.

“Boy, you are white as a sheet, do you need some water?”

Shiro shook his head again.

He really felt a little on the verge of panic. _Who was that Keith guy? What could possibly be his intentions?_

“Here, sit down.” Kolivan guided him inside and offered him the chair he had been sitting on when Shiro arrived.

“Thanks.” Shiro breathed in and out a couple of times, trying to still his thoughts. He clenched and unclenched his fists on his trousers and, with a sight, he raised his face to look at the elves again, who observed him with worried expressions.

Shiro still wanted to know about Keith. But not for the same reasons as he had seek him in the first place. He needed to make sure he wasn't threat. “So.. Keith-”

“Did he seriously just give you those knives and not introduce himself?” The second man asked man, he seemed amused abut the whole ordeal. “Did he just shove them in your face and run away?” He laughed lightly.

 _Well, at least someone finds this situation fun_ , thought Shiro bitterly.

“He didn't really give them to me.” When the man looked at him quizzically he continued “He just left them at my door, like the previous presents.”

“Previous presents?”

“Yeah, he -well, I assume it was him- left a basket of mushrooms at my door. And some timber fungus.”

None of the men spoke then, just looked at each other with increasingly exasperated expressions. The all went back to their tasks except the second man.

“This child...” He extended his arm towards Shiro. “My name is Thace. Please don't think all elves are as rude as Keith.”

Shiro took his arm and shook it, imitating Kolivan's greeting.

“I'm Shiro. And, well, rude is not the word I'd use...” He said. _I'd use creepy_ , he didn't say.

“Yeah...” Thace seemed to read his mind, as his expression turned guilty. “But don't worry, I'll scold him when he comes back and make him apologize for his weird behaviour.”

Thace disappointed tone and expressions made it sound like this Keith guy was nothing more than a small child. Shiro didn't know how to take it, but he was somehow relieved that this behaviour could be nothing more than youthful ignorance and not come out of malice.

Though now he felt like he had come to complain to a child's parents and that made him feel embarrassingly young himself in turn. A parent forcing their child to apologize to other child, that's how this situation looked.

“Okay, thank you.” Shiro said awkwardly. His worry wasn't entirely gone, but after that little rush of panic he felt to drained to really ask more of this.

“He's hunting so he'll arrive late, but you'll have him in your store first thing in the morning. I'll make sure.” Thace assured him.

“Thank you.” Shiro said again, not actually feeling very grateful, but not knowing what else to say. He got up from his seat and awkwardly said his goodbyes to the three men.

* * *

 

No one was there when he went to open the store the next day.

Shiro was relived. He hadn't slept well the previous night, worrying about finally meeting the man that had been giving him gifts and how the conversation would go. He had made up at least eight different scenarios, of differing endings.

One of them even ended with him stabbed.

He knew that one wasn't like it. But still he was dreading the encounter. He needed more time to prepare himself for what must come for it.

Every time the door opened, making the door chime sound, his head snapped up nervously.

After the fourth time of a regular client entering, he started to relax.

Maybe he wouldn't come.

The door opened again and the chime tinkled. Shiro looked up to see a young boy enter the store.

For a moment everything stilled.

He was the most beautiful person Shiro had ever seen. He had impossibly black hair and light unblemished skin. His body was lithe, that he carried with an ethereal elegance. His feet, clad in big boots, made no sound over his floors.

Shiro swallowed.

“Good morning, how may I help you?” He smiled wildly, his voice came out softer than usual, like the sheer blessed beauty of the man had cleansed his body of age.

The boy didn't answer, he just stood in front of the counter, looking at it intently and avoiding Shiro's gaze.

Shiro opened his mouth to ask again but was interrupted.

“I'm sorry.” Came a small voice.

Shiro was taken aback by it.

“What-”

“I'm sorry.” Said the boy more fiercely and looked up to him with the most determined expression Shiro had ever seen.

His eyes were a dark purple, almost black, but so big and deep and fierce, that Shiro felt like he was drowning in them. He couldn't stop looking at him, his mouth parting in awe. There was a fire in his eyes that burned the air on Shiro's lungs.

That didn't last long, because the boy cast his eyes down again.

“It was very inappropriate to give you all those presents. I didn't want to make you angry. But I understand how I did and I promise I won't bother you again.”

Then it clicked.

“Oh, you are Keith!”

Keith raised his head and nodded. Then, a realization downed on him and he rapidly extended his hand towards Shiro.

“Yes, I'm Keith. Sorry I didn't introduced myself. Again.”

Shiro shook his hand. It was warm and soft, not like the hand of a forger or a hunter like he was. He pulled his hand away after a mere second.

“Anyway, as I said I won't bother you again.” Keith said with certainty.

He turned around to leave but something tugged at Shiro's insides to stop him.

“I wasn't angry!” Shiro said, surprising himself and Keith both, as the boy turned back in confusion.

Keith pursed his lips slightly in a round silent o.

“I was just curious.” Shiro clarified. “And well, a little worried that I may have a stalker too. But mostly curious.”

Keith clenched his teeth, his lips tugging down. His looked at Shiro guiltily.

“Well, I'm glad you weren't angry. Still, sorry for scaring you.”

“Yeah it was a little creepy.” Shiro admitted. When Keith looked ready to apologize again, he was fast to cut him off. “Just... How did you know I would need those things? The carrot flowers and mushrooms?”

Keith's shoulders relaxed at that. His brows stopped being furred with worry and his lips formed a small smile. He scratched the back of his head.

“My mother was an elf. I spent some time with them when I was a child and learned a bit of elven magic. I know you help a lot of people in the village and when I found those things in the forest, I thought they'd help you.”

Shiro was surprised. The boy was short and while he was lithe and had long legs and arms like many elves, he looked just like your average human. His ears were round and he wore his hair was wavy. The only unusual thing about him was the colour of his eyes: they were black with specks of purple. Not anything a human could have naturally. Still, one would have never guessed he was a half-elf if they just spared him a look.

That explained why he had a relationship with the Marmorans, who were known to be very close-knit and reserved towards non-elves.

Though, as far as Shiro knew, the marmoran elves in town only worked in forgery and hunting. They didn't work with magic. Not like Shiro, at least.

Keith might have read the surprise on Shiro's face and rushed to clarify.

“I don't know how to make potions or anything. I just remember some basic things.”

He had assumed Shiro's surprised came from his knowledge instead of his looks and Shiro felt a little ashamed of paying that much attention to the boy's appearance.

“So you are not a marmoran elf?”

“No, well, yes- I've joined them. But originally no.”

Shiro nodded in understanding.

Silence stretched around them, uncomfortable. None of them knowing what to say next.

Keith cleared his throat and pointed to the door behind him with a thumb.

“So um. I'll leave to your work. Bye.”

“Oh, okay. See you.” Shiro said awkwardly.

“Bye.” Said Keith softly one last time and left, the door closing with a tinkle behind him.

Shiro sighted, letting the tension leave his body. It didn't go as badly as he had dreaded. It had been pretty awkward, but Shiro was relieved to learn that Keith didn't mean wrong. He seemed like a good boy, even if he hadn't chosen the best way to show it.

Something inside Shiro turned and he wished he had an excuse to see the boy again.

Maybe he could learn something about elven magic if he talked to him.

Yeah, that was the reason.

* * *

Keith had been honest when he had said he wasn't going to bother him again.

Not that Shiro had doubted him. But when after a week he hadn't found a single present at his door, Shiro felt strangely bitter.

He chastised himself. The elven boy didn't owe him anything. He had given them all those things on his own volition. And Shiro didn't owe him anything in return, either.

But Shiro felt like he had lost an opportunity to learn new magic. He didn't remember seeing the boy around before. Maybe they had very different hangouts and schedules. Maybe he would never see him again.

He thought about asking his clients and friends whether they knew about a young half-elf and where he could be found. But he threw that idea away fast. He couldn't complain about Keith being creepy with his gifts and then act in a similar way. So instead, Shiro just resigned to leave the matters to chance.

And he was not disappointed.

Shiro usually did his shopping in the market on weekends, when his pharmacy closed and he could visit the market in the morning.

He had been looking at some vegetables, trying to find the best price when a mop of striking black hair at the other side of the street called his attention.

Keith seemed to be doing business, changing the hares he had hanging from his belt for money at one of the meat stands.

Shiro strode to him without a doubt.

“Hey Keith!”

Keith jumped in surprise and turned to him with the most dumbfounded expression possible. He stared at Shiro with very open eyes and his mouth hanging in disbelief. After a few seconds of Keith being completely frozen Shiro started to feel like he had done something wrong. The easy smile he had when he approached Keith started slipping.

“You okay?” Asked Shiro resting his hand on Keith's shoulder.

Keith jumped at that, straightening immediately, and coughed into his hand, colour raising on his cheeks.

“Yeah... I just...” He looked at Shiro from between his bangs. “I didn't think you would want to talk to me after what happened.”

Keith looked like a scared kitten waiting for someone to snap at him. A big change from how casual and confident he had looked form afar. Shiro dropped his hand as to not scare him more, but Keith followed it with his eyes like it hurt him to lose it.

“Well, you already apologized for that. And you are forgiven.”

At that Keith perked up, though he still looked a bit untrusty.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Keith gave him a small smile. It was tiny and lopsided but it warmed Shiro all the same.

“So... how can I help you?”

How could he help him? Shiro had just walked to him without thinking much of what he was going to say, and know that he was put on the spot he couldn't think of anything.

“I juuust... wanted to say hi?” Shiro cringed at himself for making it a question. He didn't want to make Keith uncomfortable. Thankfully he didn't look weirded out, just a little confused.

“Oh. Well. Hi.”

“Hi. How are you?” _That's it Takashi, get a conversation going._

“I'm fine, thanks. Just here to sell the game, you know?” He pointed at the hares that the butcher had already put for display. Shiro nodded. “You?”

“Buying some vegetables and spices.”

“For the potions?”

“And for eating.” Shiro laughed and Keith smiled in return. “But yeah.”

Keith nodded. It seemed like he had nothing else to say, but Shiro didn't want the conversation to end. Not until he had taken it where he wanted.

“Maybe you could help me?”

Keith looked at him questioningly.

“You know elven magic, right? You could teach me a bit.” Shiro offered Keith his most honest smile.

Keith furrowed his brows.

“I told you I only know very basic things. I don't think I can teach you anything you don't already know.”

Shiro was taken aback by the rejection.

If he really thought about it, everything Keith had given him really were the first things one learned when he started delving into magic. Most people didn't know, of course, but they could be learned on just one magic class.

Keith looked at him with the same guilty expression he had given Shiro last time. He bit his lip and look sideways, opening and closing his mouth twice before finally speaking.

“But, if there is anything you are looking for -like herbs and such- maybe I could help you find them. I see a lot f things when I go out hunting. Or I can ask the others.” Keith offered him. And Shiro was so grateful, he felt he could implode.

“That would be great!” Shiro rushed to say.

“Good. So if you need me I'm usually a the forgery. And if I'm not, someone there will tell you where to find me.”

“Great. Will do. And well, if you or the other elves need some medicine you know where to find me too.” Shiro offered in exchange.

Keith responded to his offer with a snort and a raised eyebrow.

“What?” Shiro asked, confused.

“Elves don't get sick.” Keith told him. He burst out laughing when realisation appeared on Shiro's face.

Shiro felt so embarrassed. Elves had an iron health and could not be affected by human diseases. He knew that. But he had forgotten it in his haste to be nice. He blushed in shame and wished the earth would open and swallow him.

“Well, _I_ could get sick.” Keith conceded, saving Shiro from the embarrassment. “So I guess I'll visit you if that happens.”

“I'll be waiting.” When Keith frowned at him, Shiro realized what he had said. “I mean! I hope not!”

Keith laughed at his fast retraction and, without much ado, bid his farewell to Shiro and walked away.

* * *

“That was so embarrassing” Shiro rubbed his hands down his face.

“Come on Shiro, it wasn't that bad.” Pidge tried to console him, but after having been laughing trough his whole story, it was futile. “Have you seem how Matt acts around Allura. _That_ 's embarrassing.”

Matt responded by throwing her a scrunched up paper. She dodge it easily.

“You got nervous in front of a pretty boy. Big deal.” Pidge shrugged and pick up a book to keep reading. She was never very interested in other people's lives.

Shiro should really find himself new and more sympathetic friends.

“I didn't say he was pretty.” Shiro pouted.

That was a lie. Not only did he think Keith was pretty but he had described him as such when he had related the story to his friends.

“Shiro, we've all seen Keith. He is pretty.” Matt retorted.

“I bet is just his elf blood.” Pidge muttered to herself.

Shiro disagreed, he didn't look like an elf. Not like the others in the village, who were big and imposing, who had ragged faces and alien features. Keith had a friendly and unblemished face. His body was delicate, even if Shiro could see the outline of his biceps under his shirt, and he walked around so gracefully. He could pass for a full human. And he was beautiful for all species standards. Shiro would bet on that.

Still, Shiro had to maintain an image.

“It's not just that he is pretty okay? I'm not that shallow.”

“Oh Shiro, we all know you are a hopeless romantic.” Matt told him in a reassuring tone, but it still came out as mockery and Shiro pouted again. “You are always reminding everyone that love takes time, that you have to work for it, that you'll never use a potion, yada yada.” he accompanied every example with a turn of his hand.

Shiro was about to open his mouth to retort when Pidge interrupted him.

“Why did you talked to him again, then?”

“I was intrigued!”

Pidge turned to look at her brother. “He has a crush.”

“Definitely.” Confirmed Matt.

“I don't!”

The two siblings looked at him with incredulity. Shiro threw his hands to the air. They were probably gonna keep teasing him until his death, even if they believed him.

“You don't have to be ashamed, Shiro. Keith is a good guy. A little reserved, if anything.” Pidge said, turning once again to her book.

“Wait! You know him?”

“Yeah” the two siblings answered at the same time.

“How? When-Why!”

This was unexpected.

“He came to see dad for an injury once. And then he had some kind of rivalry with Lance? What was that about, Pidge?” Matt asked her.

“Something about Lance's delusions of grandeur. We are all friends now.”

“How come I've never met him?” Shiro asked a little upset. He'd never even heard them mention Keith. He would have made the connection when he heard his name from Kolivan.

“Oh, do you wish we'd introduce you sooner? Do you want me to wingman?” Matt smirked at him and moved his eyebrows up an down.

Shiro ignored him and turned to look at Pidge. She just shrugged.

“You are more Matt's friend than mine?” She offered. When Shiro looked at her with hurt she just gave him a small smile. “We're friends. But we don't really hang out outside of my parent's house.”

Shiro pursed his lips. He knew she was right, but felt left out either way. He had met her other friends, even if it had only been twice.

“I bet he'll stick around you now that he knows you are friends with his crush.” Matt teased.

Shiro groaned. “Stop that.”

“He’s probably scrambling his brains to find something to ask Keith help with.” Matt told Pidge who smirked at him meaningfully.

“I’m not!” Shiro defended himself.

Oh, but he was.

It only took Shiro a week to come up with a plant to look for.

He'd never had problems finding ingredients, and if he did he usually requested them to the vegetable sellers on the market. They knew where to find providers, even if it was more expensive. Still, way over a tree weeks passed when Shiro finally decided to ask Keith for help.

He had been worried whether Keith had actually meant it when he offered and whether it would seem suspicious to ask him right away. So he waited and worried and waited more, until he realized he'd never know if he didn't actually ask.

Shiro wasn’t sure of what he would be suspicious of or why that worried him. He didn’t like Keith. If anything it was Keith who liked him, he was the one to give him gifts like a secret admirer. And if Keith hadn’t act embarrassed the few times they crossed in the street and exchange pleasantries, why should Shiro?

Worse thing that could happen was Keith refusing to help, but he had sound sincere when he offered, and at least Shiro would get another conversation with him.

So once again, he made his way to the forgery.

The door was open like last time and Shiro recognised Kolivan by the fire.

“Hello?” Shiro said knocking lightly in the edge of the door.

Kolivan turned around and smiled politely.

“Hi. Looking for Keith?” he asked.

Shiro nodded.

“He’s outside. In the back.” He pointed to the back wall of the house and then turned back to his task.

Shiro thanked him and went to round the house. He peaked over the corner corner shyly, not wanting to intrude.

Keith was there, sitting beside Thace. They where cleaning a sword each, dabbing a cloth in some kind of wax and rubbing it on the blade, giving it a bright silvery look.

Shiro stood there behind them. Not wanting to interrupt or startle them and cause an accident. He could wait until they finished.

Though he didn't have to.

“Do you want anything or are you here to stare?” Asked Thace without turning.

It wasn’t until some seconds later that both stopped their chore and turned turned to look at him in question, that Shiro realised Thace was asking him.

“Oh! Yeah, I... wanted to talk to Keith.” Shiro told Thace.

Shiro held his hands together to stop himself from fidgeting nervously. He kept looking at Thace, like waiting for his approval. He didn't know why. Thace wasn't Keith's father and even if he was, Keith was the person that should give him permission to talk to him himself.

“Should I leave?” Thace didn’t wait for Shiro to answer before he got up.

“No it’s fine-” But he was already around the corner.

He turned to Keith who gave him a smile and a tilt of his head.

“Hey.” Shiro greeted him, awkwardly.

“Hey.” Keith answered, sweetly.

“So. You said you could help me find herbs, right?” Shiro wanted to confirm.

Maybe Keith had just offered out of politeness and didn't expect Shiro to take him seriously. Shiro didn't want to take some liberties that he hadn’t actually been given. But Keith just nodded, straightening up and adjusting on his seat to face him properly.

“Sure, what do you need?”

“I was wondering if you knew where to find wild garlic? It’s okay if you don’t...” Shiro wanted to offer Keith an out in case he needed it. Even if when he didn't.

Keith's eyes moved to the left, his mouth opening slightly, and frowned. Then he pursed his lips and hummed.

“Wild garlic? Wild garlic…” Keith looked confused.

“Bear leek.” Came Thace's voice from around the corner.

“Ah bear leek, yes!” Said Keith realization brightening his face. He smiled at Shiro. “I've seen the bears digging it down to the south. There is a lot at the other side of river Arus, at the old forest.”

Shiro was ecstatic. He tried to contain his smile to not seem to eager. That proved not to be to hard when he registered what Keith had said.

“Wait, bears?” Shiro asked wary.

“Yes?” Keith raised an eyebrow but lowered it in understanding upon seeing Shiro's horrified expression. “Don't worry, they rarely get near humans. It'll be fine, we probably won't even see any.”

Shiro wasn't fully convinced, but Keith seemed honest and he felt compelled to trust him.

“So you'll show me the place?”

“Yes, isn't that what you want?”

It was, but Shiro had been worried that Keith would just give him some directions and leave it at that. He nodded happily.

“Are you free tomorrow morning?” Asked Keith.

“Yes, but it's not urgent, really.”

Keith turned to look at the corner of the house.

“Hey, Thace! Would it be fine if Antok went out to hunt alone tomorrow?”

“Sure! But make sure to bring some bear leek for us too.” Came Thace's voice again.

Keith turned to look at Shiro again.

“Tomorrow is it, then. At eight?”

“Eight is fine.” Shiro confirmed.

He couldn't believe how easy it had been. Keith really was willing to help him, Shiro felt like an idiot for ever doubting Keith's goodwill.

“It'll take us the whole morning to go and come back, I recommend you bring something to eat.”

“Will do, thank you.” Shiro grinned and his heart skipped a beat when Keith grinned back at him. He cleared his throat and let his arms dangle casually at his sides. “So, see you tomorrow?”

“See you.” Keith laughed lightly and nodded.

Shiro waved at Keith as he turned the corner to leave and almost crashed into Thace, who was leaning against the wall just around the corner. He had been listening shamelessly to all of it. Not that Shiro cared, they weren't talking about anything personal. And Keith had known Thace was there but didn’t seem to mind. Something told Shiro that Keith was already used to the other man being over protective to him.

Shiro just waved to him with a smile, receiving a soft look in return.

* * *

Keith guided him though the forest with complete certainty.

When they've first left town they had been following and open path, marked by the trampled soil in which no plants grew and splashes of red on the barks of trees here and there. But after around half an hour, Keith had turned to the side and stepped between the trees. The ground was now irregular, sometimes rocks, sometimes soft moss, and the only confirmation Shiro had that they weren't just getting lost were the small mounds of artificially stacked rocks he saw around every ten minutes.

Still, it was impressive that Keith could make his way around this place so easily. The forest got increasingly dense the deeper they got.

Keith walked in silence, three paces in front of Shiro. He seemed to be deep in concentration, only acknowledging Shiro to hold low branches out of his way, so they wouldn't hit him as they walked.

Shiro wanted to strike a conversation, but he didn't want to disturb Keith. And he didn't even know what to say in the first place.

It wasn't until they reached a small clearing where streams crossed and Shiro didn't have to look at his feet to not trip with anything, that he noticed something on Keith.

“I thought the Marmorans didn't make knifes.” Said Shiro offhanded, his eyes focused on the small sheath at Keith's hip.

Keith turned towards him in question and followed his gaze towards his own hip. He smiled, something fond in his face.

“It's not a knife, it's a dagger.”

He took the dagger out of his sheath so Shiro could admire it properly. It had the same stone on its hilt than his knives and it shined just as brightly, if not more, for having a double edge, making it beautifully symmetrical.

“Did Kolivan make this too?”

“No. His master did.” Keith shook his head.

For a second it seemed like that was all he had to say, as he turned around and continued walking, but then he added. “She made it for my mother.”

“Was she a Marmoran?” Shiro asked curiously.

“Yep.”

“I thought Marmorans didn't use magic? How did you learned it, then?” Shiro asked confused.

“I didn't spend my childhood with them.” Keith gave as an explanation.

This time he didn't elaborate, and Shiro felt inappropriate to keep pressing him about it. Keith didn't sound uncomfortable, but he was giving Shiro pretty short answers and he was walking in front of him, so Shiro couldn't read his expression.

But now that he had finally gotten Keith to talk, Shiro didn't want to stop and he scrambled his brains for a new conversation topic.

After another odd turn between the trees, Shiro went for simple small talk. After all, that was the best way to get to know someone.

Not that he was especially interested in Keith, he told himself. But if they were to spend the whole morning together, they should at least talk.

“How do you manage to not get lost? I have no idea where we are anymore...”

Keith turned lightly to look at him with an amused smile.

“I spend a lot of time in the forest. It's kind of my job, you know?”

“Ah, right.” Shiro said. Keith was a hunter, he knew that.

“Besides, I like it. It's so quiet out here.”

Shiro hummed in affirmation.

“We can still talk, though. I don't mind.” Keith said, reading Shiro's lack of an answer as discomfort.

Shiro could hear the smile on his tone and laughed in response.

“Okay. I mean I like the silence. I'm just, eh...” Shiro tried to phrase his interest in Keith in a indifferent way. “Well, curious about you. Like, you seem nice. And I am actually impressed that you can make your way through the forest this easily.”

“It's not that hard.” Keith said softly, his voice coming a little breathy. But before Shiro could think more about it, he continued. “I've done this path multiple times, both at day and at night, so I know how to follow the marks.”

“You make this way at night?” Now Shiro really was impressed.

“Yep, we have to settle some traps before the animals get out of their dens in the morning.”Keith explained.

“Yeah, that makes sense. But how do you not get lost?”

“I know how to follow the stars.” Keith said, pointing to the sky.

Shiro's eyes went up automatically. He couldn't see any stars obviously, as it was daylight, but he was surprised that he could actually see the sky at all between the top of the trees.

“That is so cool!” Shiro said excited.

Shiro had always loved the stars. He had learned the constellations and all the stories about them. He loved going out at night to look at the stars and planets. Sometimes he'd go with Pidge and Matt to observe the sky. They'd taught him many things about the universe and he'd taught them many things in return.

So Shiro was delighted at the prospect of making another friend with whom to share these things.

“I love astronomy.” Shiro said, happy to have found something they had in common.

“You do?” Keith asked, stopping to smile at him with openness in his eyes.

“Yeah!” Shiro confirmed, his own smile growing bigger. “Did you see the eclipse last week? That was beautiful.”

“Yeah, it was great!” Keith nodded at him excitedly. “I can't wait for the Geminid meteor shower at the end of the year.”

“Me neither. I love those.” Shiro said.

They lost themselves into the topic, discussing their favourite astronomical events and their favourite myths. Talking excitedly about where the best spots for seeing them were.

And before any of them could noticed it, they had arrived at their destination.

“There you go.” Keith signalled with both hands to a patch of short yellowish green plants.

“Oh, great.”

Both of them kneeled to collect the plants.

Shiro saw Keith using his dagger to cut the stem and realized he should had brought a knife himself too, instead of just using his hands, as they would smell like garlic for weeks now.

Thankfully for him, Keith saw his disgruntled face and offered to lend him the dagger to save him the bad time.

“So what do you use wild garlic for?” Asked Keith after a while of looking at him stash his with the plants.

Shiro scratched the back of his head in shame. He didn’t actually have any use for it in magic, he had just wanted it for food. He had been worried about Keith not meaning it when he offered his help, that Shiro had chosen to ask him for something non-essential.

It was awkward to admit that now, after making Keith walk him all the way, but Shiro didn’t want to lie to him.

“Actually, I only wanted it for eating.” He admitted.

“Ah.” That was all of Keith's answer.

Shiro stopped to look at him. Keith didn’t look annoyed, just kept observing him with a neutral expression, and Shiro was relieved.

“So it doesn’t work like common garlic?” Keith asked, then.

“Not as far as I know.”

“I see.”

Shiro kept collecting the herbs, until something occurred to him.

“Wait so, if elves don't get sick, why do you use magic for?”

“I guess for the same reasons as humans?” Keith shrugged. Shiro turned to him again. “We -I mean they- don't suffer from things like organ failure and most common human diseases, but wounds still need to be treated. We can die if they aren't.”

Shiro nodded in understanding.

“And they also make potions for feelings, like you.”

“Ah, of course.” Well, that seemed like an obvious one, now that Shiro thought about it.

As celestial and mighty as elves were thought to be, they felt emotions just like humans did and they could suffer from them just the same. In that sense, elven magic would be that different from human magic.

And all of the ingredients Keith had found for him were specifically used on love potions, so that was probably all Keith had learned.

“Is that what you learned to make?” Shiro asked him, anyway.

“Hmm?” Keith frowned at him.

“Potions for feelings, I mean?”

Keith opened his mouth and nodded in understanding. He looked to the ground intently, his brows furrowing.

“I guess?” He answer after a beat. “I don't really remember much about the whole process. Just the big cauldrons and all the kids being asked to bring flowers and mushrooms from the gardens.”

Shiro nodded along, listening attentively to Keith's story.

“That was my favourite part, so I didn't really pay attention to the rest.” Keith scratched the back of his head and smiled softly when Shiro laughed at his admission. “I wish I had, though. Every time Pidge talks about medicine I feel lost and she gets annoyed when I ask many questions.”

Shiro laughed at that. Pidge liked schooling others, but she could be a little snappy at times if you didn't follow her quickly.

“If you are really curious about how to make potions I can show you.” Shiro offered Keith.

Keith's eyes lighted up at the suggestion, but they immediately turned wary.

“I wouldn't want to bother you...” Keith said but it was still obvious he liked the idea.

“Oh, you're not a bother at all. It would be nice to have someone else to talk to other than my cat while I cook.”

“You won't get distracted? I really don't want you to mess up something important.”

“Not at all. Matt and Pidge come and help me sometimes, so as long as you don't mess with the potion itself it'll be fine.” Shiro gave Keith a big smile, looking as open and honest as he could.

Keith mirrored his smile, albeit tinier.

“Then, I'd love to.”

* * *

Keith was waiting for him at the door of the pharmacy when Shiro had gotten out to close it for the day.

“You could have come inside to wait.” Shiro told him after the surprise of seeing him already waiting. He had assumed Keith hadn't arrived t their meeting yet.

Keith just shrugged in response.

Shiro guided him to his house. It wasn't far, but Shiro wished it was closer so that he didn't have that much time to worry about what Keith would think.

His house was small. He never thought that was a bad thing, it was the average around his neighbourhood, but he knew Keith live in a big house that he shared with all the Marmorans in the village. Shiro lived only with his cat and they didn't need anything more, didn't _want_ anything more, but he couldn't help worrying about being judged badly.

He wanted to make a good impression on Keith.

He had woken up earlier to clean up his house a little bit, not that it was messy to begin with, but Shiro knew he would have spent the whole day nervous if he hadn't done all he could to make his place presentable for his new friend.

Shiro entered the house and stepped aside to let Keith inside, offering to take his hooded coat and leaving it on the hanger.

Keith just stood in place and waited for Shiro to guide him through instead of stepping completely inside.

Shiro guided him through his small living room, that doubled as a dining room, and into the kitchen. Keith looked around curiously and Shiro held his breath for a moment. But when Keith made eye contact with him he was smiling brightly.

“It's a little small, but is more than I need.” Still, Shiro felt the need to excused his house.

“Oh, I think is very nice. I've definitely seen smaller places.” There was some hint of sadness on his voice, but Shiro didn't have time to dwell on it, as Keith lifted his hand to point to one of the small potted plants he had all around his living.“I like the decorations.”

His whole living room was decorated with tiny pots and vases hanging from the ceiling or on shelves intermingled with books, giving his room a contained wild sort of appearance.

“Thanks.” Shiro said genuinely.

Keith kept looking at his plants until something else seemed to catch his attention.

“I guess that's your cat.” He pointed to one of his two chairs, where cat was laying, staring at them attentively.

“Yep, that's Black.” Shiro confirmed.

Keith went to coo at him and black let his head be pet but, unsurprisingly, offered no response whatsoever. Shiro loved Black, but sometimes he wished his cat was more amicable to people other than him.

Seeing that the cat didn't want anything to do with him, Keith just lifted his hand with a small “oh” and turned back to Shiro. Waiting.

Shiro stared at him, getting lost into his eyes for a moment, until he understood Keith was probably waiting for him to show him his work. That's why he came, after all.

“Do you want to start with the potions?” Shiro asked, turning his eyes away from Keith's.

Keith nodded and after a bit he added “Is there anything I can help with?”

“Nah, just sit back and look.” Shiro shooed his cat away and took the two chairs into the kitchen. Then, Shiro remembered his manners. “Oh! Can I offer you anything to drink? Something to eat?”

Keith laughed softly and shook his head.

“I'm fine, thanks.” He said. Shiro nodded in response. “So what kind of potion are you going to make today?”

Shiro relaxed then, as they got into a topic he knew well and was comfortable with. He reached into his cupboard to take out some spices and a bit of tinder fungus and started a small fire under his chimney. He filled a small pot with water and hanged it over the fire to heat.

“I was asked by a man from the next village to make a simple love potion.”

Keith followed all his movements with high attentiveness.

Shiro counted five black peppercorns and put them in a mortar. When he started grinding them,Keith offered to do it him so that Shiro could continue with his next steps.

After taking a few mushrooms, Shiro started to cut them with Keith's knives. Keith perked up at that. They cut the mushrooms so easily under Shiro's quick mincing movements. Seeing that Keith had stopped grinding, Shiro spoke up.

“Are you tired? You can stop grinding for a while.”

“No, no I'm fine.” Keith went back to grinding with resolve. But he still spared a last look at the knives and Shiro caught on that.

“They work great.” Shiro said and earned a small smile from Keith.

Shiro added the mushrooms to the water and let them cook. He put his chair in front of Keith's and took the mortar from his hands to keep grinding himself.

“That will take a while” He said pointing at the pot with his head.

“So the potion is it just a mushroom soup?”

“I also put pepper on it.” Shiro joked. “But no, that is just the base.”

“The base?” Keith egged him on to explain more.

“Yes. Something savoury,” He pointed to the pot. “something spicy,” He pointed to the mortar on his lap. “And something sweet.” He pointed to a jar of honey he had on the counter. “That's the base of all potions for feelings. Then I add more specific stuff depending of what the intended outcome is.”

Keith nodded.

“So, honey and black pepper are quite expensive, how much do your potions cost?” Keith asked curiously, but retracted his question almost immediately. “Sorry, it's okay if you don't want to tell.”

Shiro laughed airily. Why wouldn't he want to tell?

“It's fine. And it depends.”

“It depends?”

Shiro hummed and nodded. He didn't even look up from his mortar.

“On what does it depend?” Asked Keith, seeing as Shiro didn't give more explanation.

“On the cause and how pressing it is.” Shiro answered simply.

Keith inclined his head in question, not understanding what Shiro meant.

“Like, if someone needs to get over the loss of a family member, for example. I wouldn't make them pay as much as someone who just wants their crush to notice them, you know?”

“Why wouldn't you make them pay the same?” Keith asked, confused.

“Because they are not equally bad situations. Loosing someone is more painful.”

Keith furrowed his brows and narrowed his eyes. He stood deep in thought for a few moments and Shiro felt like Keith's eyes were burning a hole through him.

“How do you know?” Said Keith finally, taking Shiro aback by the accusatory tone of his question. “How do you know whose feelings are stronger? Maybe not being spared a thought by their crush is more painful for someone than losing a not-so-loved one. Who are you to judge the extension of someone's feelings?”

Shiro was astounded. He had never thought about it that way, but now that he did, he knew Keith may be right. Still, the slightly accusatory tone Keith had used made him want to defend his position.

“Well, but if they come to me, that loss may be affecting them very badly.”

“But the people looking for love also come to you.” Keith retorted. Shiro had to admit that but, when he opened his mouth to agree Keith beat him to it. “Sometimes when you are used to loss, not being loved can be more painful than losing yet another person.”

Shiro didn't know what to say after that, it was such a common statement. That having loved and lost was indeed better than never loved at all. But Keith had said it with such gravity that Shiro couldn't help but wonder if it came from real experience and not just from theorizing. When Shiro didn't answer, Keith cast his eyes down and started fiddling with the cloth of his trousers.

“Sorry, I wasn't trying to tell you how to do your job or anything, I just meant to say that maybe not everything is so black and white.”

“No, no, I- you make a very good point. I’ve never thought about it like that.” Shiro was fast to reassure him, smiling at him softly and not looking away until Keith smiled in return.

Keith sounded so empathetic. He had started a discussion with Shiro just to defend other people's feelings and he thought Keith was wonderful for it. It is not easy telling others they are wrong, especially when Keith and him didn't have that much familiarity, and Shiro couldn't help but admire his honesty and grit.

“I don’t like asking my clients for that many details, so you are right that I wouldn’t know how dire their situation is sometimes” Shiro said after a while.

He dumped the mushroom soup into a bowl and measured two cups back into the pot, making sure to pass it through a colander so no pieces of mushroom fell in the broth. He put the pot in the fire again and added the ground pepper.

“I'll be more mindful of other people's feelings. Thank you for calling me out.” Shiro smiled sincerely at Keith.

Keith just hummed and smiled avoiding his eyes, colour rising on his cheeks.

Shiro took some jars with different herbs and explained to Keith what they did and how he mixed them. Keith listened attentively, asking questions and sharing short stories when any step of the process reminded him of his childhood.

It took almost three hours for Shiro to finish the potion, as the ingredients had to cook perfectly, and Shiro decided to invite Keith to stay for dinner. He added some potatoes and carrots to the leftover mushroom broth to make a soup.

They sat in the small table on Shiro's living to eat. Shiro went to apologize for not having more fancy furniture, but Keith cut him off immediately, reassuring him again that his setup was very cosy.

They simmered on their soups in silence. Shiro hoped he hadn't bored Keith much.

“Was the process very different from what you remember?”

Keith looked pensive for a couple of seconds.

“A little? But, not much. Just some equipment was different and I couldn’t remember many of the ingredients you used.”

Shiro nodded.

“It was really nice to finally learn what all those plants did, after all these years.” Said Keith with a wistful smile. “Thank you for inviting me”

Keith's smile was so soft and genuine, it made something tug at Shiro's chest. Keith’s gratitude was evident and Shiro felt it was a little undeserving.

“It was a pleasure.” Shiro gave Keith a soft smile in exchange. “If you want to learn more or have any question or anything I’ll be more than happy to answer.”

It was strange, there was a force pushing at Shiro to be nice to Keith, to leave every door open for him to step into his life.

Keith circled his spoon around the soup. His eyebrows creased and a small smile tugged a the right edge of his lips.

“I do have one question. But it's not about the potions themselves.”

“Ask away.” Shiro said, amused. He really didn't mind answering any of Keith's questions, whatever they may be about.

Keith seemed to hesitate a bit, unsure of how to start his question. But then, he just sighted an asked:

“Have you ever used one of your potions?”

“Never” Answered Shiro quickly, not missing a beat.

“Oh?” Keith seemed surprised.

It wasn't the first time someone had asked him that. In fact, it was the most common question he got whenever someone found out his occupation. At first, Shiro had thought the question was a little invasive, but nowadays he was used to it. And he had to admit, he understood why people asked.

His answer had always been the same.

“It just doesn't feel... honest, you know?” Before Keith could respond, he continued “Like, I don't think is wrong to use them or anything. I wouldn't sell them if I did. But it's not what I want for me personally.”

“Oh?” Keith said again.

“I mean, if I'm to be with someone- If someone was to love me, I'd like it for them to see something in me by themself, not by some potion.” Shiro explained. Keith just looked at him with his mouth hanging and an unreadable expression and Shiro felt embarrassment rushing to his face. “Sorry, I know I sound a really sappy.”

“No, it's-” Keith was fast to retort. “I think it's nice. To want that.” He looked back to his plate and continued eating, only looking back at Shiro from between his bangs for a second.

“Anything else you are curious about?” Asked Shiro, it was fun asking this questions sometimes.

And Keith's reactions were _so_ cute.

Keith was pensive for a moment.

“Do you never worry about people misusing your potions?” He asked, finally.

That threw Shiro off. He knew that was a possibility, but he always made sure to give people guidelines of what they could expect from the potions and what they should do to make them work.

“Well, I give them instructions, but they could make mistakes and the potions won't work as effectively. I guess that's normal to expect.”

“No, I don't mean mistakes. I mean like purposefully using them to do wrong.”

Shiro was taken aback again.

He'd never really thought about it. Sure it could be a possibility too, but he trusted most people wouldn't do that. And in his years of work he had never encountered someone who seemed suspicious about their intentions.

“I don't know...” Shiro started and took some time to order his thoughts. “I guess... It could happen, but I don't think I could really do anything to prevent it if it does.”

Could there be someone out there who bought his potions to mess with other people? Could there be someone who used his potions for pranks and to play with others? Maybe, but then again, his potions weren't all-powerful. And one had to be honest in their intentions to appeal to their target if they wanted the potion to work. If someone took the potion by mistake and no one actively tried to make them fall in love, they wouldn't just fall for any stranger. That's not how his potions worked.

So Shiro guessed he didn't have that much to worry about.

* * *

Keith had taken him up on his offer to learn more about potions and visited his house from time to time.

In exchange, he let Shiro go with him in some of his hunting trips, showing him some spots for finding useful plants and mushrooms on the way.

And just like that, before he could realize it, Keith had become part of his life. He came to his house regularly, to the delight of his cat who, against all precedents, had warmed up to Keith as much -if not more- as his owner. And he accompanied Keith on his hunting trips, without needing the excuse of finding an ingredient for it.

Shiro got acquainted with all the marmoran elves and spent time hanging out at the forgery with Keith.

At some point Pidge jokingly complained that he had stolen her friend, but she was actually happy to have him and Matt be part of her friend group now.

It was rare to have a day in which he didn't see Keith and Shiro couldn't be happier about it.

Keith would come to his store at midday, sit on his counter for a while to tell him about what game he got that morning and hear about Shiro's day, and then he'll leave to have lunch and leave Shiro to attend to whoever came in the store.

“So, how are your children, Mrs. Summer?” Having Keith around always lifted Shiro's mood and he found it easier to just make small talk with his clients than before.

“Busy as always. They don't even have time to visit their own mother. Nowadays I'm as good as dead.” Mrs. Summer appeared as fatalistic as always, coming every month for her back pain medicine.

“Oh, that is not true Mrs. Summer, you are a delight to have around.” Shiro said amused, some of her oldest clients were very entertaining and he was always glad to keep seeing them from time to time.

“You are the delight, honey. I really don't get how you are still single.”

Shiro blushed hard. It was weird when people expressed curiosity on his love life, specially considering not even himself was invested in it. It was to expect, he guessed. Someone who sold bottled love is assumed to be prolific in love himself.

Shiro shook his head, trying to look nonchalant instead of uncomfortable.

“I'm too busy these days.” It was a poor excuse, but it usually got people off his back.

“That can't be.” Mrs. Summer shook her head disapprovingly. “Maybe you should think abut using one of your potions.” She said jokingly.

But Shiro would never do that. It's not that he considered using a potion cheating, he understood why others wanted them and he was fine with that. Really.

But if he was to experience love, he'd want it to happen naturally.

He wanted a person who noticed him for who he was, not because their attention was clouded by some concoction.

If that was what others wanted, he could respect that, but he was weirdly traditional for someone with his job.

He wanted his love to be free, like autumn leaves flying in the wind.

And wild like a stormy river. Falling from the mountain with purpose, not letting the land stop it.

And deep. Like the dark feathers of ravens and a moonless sky.

Free and wild and deep. Like soft black, hair and purple eyes.

Like Keith.

“Honey, are you alright?” Mrs Summer asked with a curious expression.

Shiro had gone silent and still. His eyes unfocused on the horizon and lips parted in surprise.

Why had he been thinking of Keith?

“Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine.” Shiro lied.

“Okay, well, see you around!” Mrs Summer smiled and left the store with a hand wave.

Keith.

Shiro wasn't blind. He could see how Keith looked at him, hear how his words turned softer when he was talking to him, how he never refused his touch.

He was aware of all of this. How he hadn't made the connection sooner was beyond him.

How he hadn't realized he felt he same was even worse.

 _So much for being a love witch_.

So Keith liked him and Shiro liked him back and Shiro should really be happy. But something wasn't sitting well with him. There was something he was missing.

“ _Do you never worry about people misusing your potions?”_

Those had been Keith's words. And Shiro had never been worried. Not until then.

What if that had happened?

All he knew about Keith was that someday, without ever having talked, he started giving Shiro presents. Leaving them at his door without a solid reason.

That he had willingly offered to help Shiro on finding his plants.

That he had been attentive to all of Shiro's explanations of magic. Not ever complaining about them being boring even though Shiro was sure he wasn't a very immersive teacher.

He knew that Keith wasn't friendly with strangers and didn't like small talk. The Marmorans had told him so. Keith had told him so.

Yet, he had been friendly to Shiro.

Since before even meeting.

_But why?_

Shiro didn't want to believe it. Didn't want to think about the possibility that this had just been all a farce. Just the result of some potion.

_But if it was?_

He had been leading Keith on. By his own selfishness. Shiro had wanted to become his friend and had decided to build that relationship with Keith unknowingly. And Keith had fell.

When Keith probably hadn't wanted to fall for Shiro in the first place. When Shiro hadn't wished Keith would fall in love with him in the first place.

_In the first place. But now-_

Now he had to distance himself from Keith.

To let the effects of the potion pass and meet with him on equal terms. If their relationship progressed then, he would be happy. If not, he would be happy too, knowing that's what Keith truly wanted.

It was going to be hard. But for Keith he'd do it.

* * *

Shiro had intended to be casual about it. To give Keith space without airing suspicion.

It hadn't been hard to deflect Keith. Not in the physical sense.

Keith had accepted it easily when Shiro made up an excuse not to hang out. He had stopped coming to the store altogether after the fifth day Shiro had rejected his invitations.

On the emotional sense though, it had been torture.

Seeing Keith's dejected face every time Shiro rejected him. How his smile fell for a moment, but then forced it back again when he told Shiro he understood. Then, he had stopped smiling altogether, just looked at him with hope on his eyes when he extended him an invitation hesitantly. They turned so dull when Shiro said no.

They've always been the prettiest eyes in the world, but seeing them so opaque made Shiro feel nauseous.

Shiro deserved it. He deserved the way his stomach constricted. They way his tongue felt to big for his mouth and his throat burned. How his appetite went missing. He was putting Keith through torture, he deserved to suffer as well.

He would deny it every time Pidge or Matt accused him of avoiding Keith. It was obvious he was and he still had the gall to lie to his friends about it.

They were angry with him. Keith didn't want to hang out with all of them anymore and they all knew it was his fault.

Shiro was angry with himself as well. But he couldn't back down.

He hadn't seen Keith in a whole week, when he entered his pharmacy. Door chime clinking behind him.

Shiro's heart-rate picked up, excitement sending goosebumps all over his body.

He wanted to kick himself, he didn't deserve Keith's presence.

“Hey Keith, how are you?” Shiro tried to sound nonchalant.

Keith didn't answer. He just stood in front of his counter, looking at it intently.

It was just like that first time Keith had entered his store.

“I'm sorry.” Keith's voice was so small. Shiro felt the urge to hold his face, to make sure he wasn't crying. To kiss him better.

“What-”

“I'm sorry.” Keith repeated.

Shiro didn't understand what Keith was apologizing for. He hadn't done anything wrong. He could never do anything wrong.

“I don't know what I did, but you are angry with me and I'm sorry. If you tell me what it is that I did wrong, I promise I'll fix it.” Keith never raised his eyes from the counter and Shiro could imagine why. His voice was so strained. Keith was at the verge of tears.

“No no, Keith, no.” Shiro wanted to reach with his hands to cup Keith's face, but instead just took them to his shoulders. “Listen. Keith, listen.” He shook Keith's body lightly and didn't continue until Keith looked up at him. “I'm not angry with you.”

“Then, why?!” Keith shouted at him.

Shiro startled and dropped his hands from Keith's shoulders. Keith looked furious. His eyebrows furrowed and his cheeks flared. Shiro couldn't help the thought that Keith was beautiful like that. It was cruel to think that, when Keith's eyes were so glassy.

“Why what, Keith?” Shiro asked, pretending to not know what.

He knew what. Perfectly.

Keith gave himself a moment to breath, but it didn't help him compose himself.

“Why have you been avoiding me? Why are you acting so weird?”

To Keith, he couldn't deny it.

“I've been busy.” Was Shiro's poor attempt of a excuse.

Keith didn't believe him. He knew his schedule. He had gone through it with him multiple times. Keith just crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at him.

“Fine.” Shiro sighed. “I haven’t been feeling well.”

That wasn’t entirely a lie. He had been feeling like shit. Doing what he was doing to Keith. He couldn’t sleep well, second guessing all his actions. The image of Keith’s sad face hunted him every night.

“You haven’t being feeling well?” Keith’s expression had morphed into concern. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to worry.” Not entirely a lie either. Shiro hadn’t told Keith about his suspicions of a potion mishap to not worry him.

“God, I’m so sorry Shiro. You are sick and here I was, making it all about me.”

Shiro felt like someone had stabbed his lung. He was treating Keith so badly and still he was there for him. Unconditionally.

“No, it’s okay Keith, you are right. We haven’t hang out a lot lately.” Shiro smiled at him weakly, hoping to see Keith smile in return.

Keith didn’t smile. He still looked worried.

“So have you visited Sam? Can’t you make a potion for whatever it is you have?”

_God, Keith is so pure. I love him._

“Nah, I just have to sleep it out. It’s not a big deal?” Shiro ignored his traitorous thoughts. “We can hang out this week if you want.”

He had been giving Keith a lot of space. It wouldn’t hurt if they just spent one day together. He wanted Keith to get over his misguided feelings, not hurt him forever.

And he missed Keith. A lot.

At that, Keith did smile.

“Well, this weekend is the meteor shower, remember?”

Shiro did remember. He nodded.

“Want to go see it?” Keith asked even when he already knew the answer.

“You know it.”

And just like that, Keith -and by extension, Shiro- was happy again.

* * *

Shiro was excited for the meteor shower. It was one of the most beautiful astronomical events.

Matt had explained to him why they happened years ago and Shiro had never felt more marvelled at the universe.

This time though, it wasn’t the sky what got him excited.

It was sharing this with Keith.

They had climbed to the forgery’s ceiling. It was at the outskirts, far enough from the lights emanating from the village’s windows. And it was flat and not as freezing as the forest ground on that cold December night.

They took a few blankets to lie on and cover themselves and a pillow to rest their heads on.

It was perfect.

For a moment, Shiro could forget about his worries and just enjoy the view of a limitless sky.

He could share it with his friend in silence. Knowing that Keith was as mesmerized about the stars as he was. (Shiro had looked. The stars reflected on Keith’s eyes giving them a new brightness. Shiro liked it a lot better than his eyes shining with tears.)

And when Keith slid against him, he didn’t protest, basking on their shared heat instead.

For moment Shiro could pretend that what lied between them was real. That when Keith reached for his hand was because he wanted to hold it and not just because “You’re cold.”, as Keith had whispered.

The first comets glided across the sky. Keith squeezed his hand and Shiro could hear a breath escaping from his smile.

Another comet and Shiro started wishing.

He wished that Keith could love him like he loved Keith. Fervently and without reason. He wished that to every comet he saw.

“Did you make any wish?” Keith asked him eventually and Shiro would have wanted to answer, but Keith’s thumb was caressing the back of his hand and Shiro’s senses couldn’t feel anything else.

“Shiro?” His thumb stopped.

“Hmm?” Shiro hummed, still dizzy from the feeling of his hand in Keith’s and from his daydreams about what could be.

“Did you fall asleep?” Keith whispered, his tone amused.

“No, why?”

“I asked you if you made any wish and you didn’t answer.”

“Ah.” Shiro remembered now,. The question had somehow registered at the back of his mind. He also remembered the thumb and started stroking his against Keith’s hand. “I did. Did you?”

“I did.”

Shiro felt Keith turn under the blankets. A gush of cold air came between them as Keith lied on his side, looking at him.

“What did you wish for?” Shiro asked him distractedly.

Keith didn’t answer and Shiro turned his head to look at him.

Keith’s face was unreadable, as only his side illuminated by the stars, but there was some determination in the way his eyes locked with Shiro's.

Before Shiro could think much about it, Keith surged forwards and locked their lips together.

They were soft and there was nothing Shiro wanted more than to taste them. But he couldn’t.

He sat up brusquely, pushing Keith back on the way.

“Keith, I-”

“Don’t say it.” Keith cut him off.

Shiro raked his mind for the right words to explain why he had pushed him away. When all he wanted to do was hold him closer.

Keith rose up slowly, not looking in Shiro’s direction. As he made his way to leave Shiro reached with his hand, desperate to make Keith understand.

“No, Keith, listen. I want-”

“Don’t say it!” Keith’s voice broke and with it Shiro’s heart. “Just, please don’t say anything.”

Shiro scrambled to his feet, but Keith had already reached the edge of the ceiling and was sliding down the wall.

“Keith wait!” Shiro tried, but the moment Keith’s feet were on the floor he bolted, disappearing into the night.

* * *

Shiro really thought he would never see Keith again.

He had gone to the forgery the next day, hoping to give Keith an explanation. To tell him why he had rejected him. Shiro didn't know how he would explain this mess. But he didn't have to.

Keith wasn't at the forgery. And none of the Marmorans told him where he was, claiming not to know. But by the odd worried look Thace had thrown his way, Shiro understood Keith didn't want to see him.

Shiro left Keith's blankets to Kolivan and went back to open his pharmacy.

He had to drag himself to do his job, wanting nothing more than to curl up into bed and look at his wall in silence.

If he was feeling this sad, he couldn't want to imaging what Keith was going through.

That's why, when Keith came into his store the next day, Shiro had been too surprised to do anything more than stare.

Keith looked pale, his complexion a ghostly white, the only dash of colour where the pink bags under his eyes. His eyes looked pink too and Shiro wondered if he had been crying or if it was just lack of sleep.

It was probably both.

Shiro felt his own eyes prickle with tears. Keith looked so dejected and it had all been his fault.

“Hey.” Said Keith, after a minute of none of them talking.

“Hey.” Was all Shiro could say in return. He knew that if he tried to say any more words they would just catch on his throat.

Keith inhaled deeply through his nose and then sighted. He looked at Shiro in the eyes.

“I came here to request a potion.” Keith's tone was completely flat. And that was even worse than his looks.

Keith's voice had always been so colourful with emotions. Shiro loved been able to just listen to Keith's smiles and pouts and frowns, not needing to look at him to know what he was feeling. His voice had always been honest and warm.

But now it wasn't.

“A potion?” Shiro asked after a beat. He couldn't take his eyes away from Keith's face.

“Yes.” Keith nodded. “I need you to make me an unlove potion.”

Shiro's heart stopped for a moment.

He couldn't have heard that right.

“Keith...”

“No Shiro, listen.” Keith raised his hand to stop him from talking. He voice was calm, but Shiro could see his hand tremble slightly. He moved it back down. “You don't like me back and I get it.”

Shiro opened his mouth to protest, but Keith raised his hand again.

“I get it, okay? You don't have to explain.”

“Yes I do!” Shiro felt desperate to stop this.

“No. You don't.” Keith fought to maintain his tone level.

“Yes, yes I do.”

“Shiro!” Keith shout startled him and Shiro just looked at him with very open eyes. “Listen, I- I have feelings for you. I never expected this to happen, I didn't have an interest in you. But then we started hanging around and you became my friend and-” Keith's voice started to break. “And you were so nice to me and so smart and- And I just couldn't help it.”

Keith sounded like he regretted it. Like loving Shiro was the most painful thing that had ever happened to him and Shiro hated himself. He should have made loving him and easy thing. He should have treated Keith well, even if it was just a potion, his feelings were now real.

But Keith had just said he hadn't had an interest in Shiro.

“So please, Shiro. Just give me a potion to get over this. I don't want to lose you. I don't want to stop being your friend.” Keith pleaded at him.

Shiro swallowed.

“Keith, can I ask you a question?”

“What?”

“Why did you start leaving presents at my door?”

“Why does that matter?” Keith was baffled by his question.

“Keith, please answer me.” Shiro begged, creasing his shirt into his fists.

“I just wanted to help you.” Keith said simply. Shiro nodded at him to continue. “I knew you helped a lot of people in the village, even some of my friends, so when I found those things in the forest I thought I could help you help them.”

“You didn't do it because you liked me?” Shiro asked, his face started to relaxed.

Hope started blooming into his chest.

“What are you talking about? I didn't even know who you were. I hadn't even met you.”

Keith's confusion was starting to turn to anger. But Shiro felt nothing more than happy. He couldn't help it when laugh bubbled out of him.

"What are you laughing at?" Keith looked furious now. His whole face scrunched in a frown and his mouth hanging open in outrage.

"Oh my god Keith, I love you." It came out so easily, Shiro didn't know how he could have kept it inside all this time.

Keith's mouth closed and his eyebrows shot up, the sheer force of his surprise making him move one step behind.

Shiro turned around the counter to go to Keith's side. He held Keith's face in his hands and Keith didn't protest, disbelieve still apparent on his face.

"I love you." Whispered Shiro. "I didn't tell you before because I thought you liked me because of a potion."

Keith blinked a couple of times in confusion.

"Where would I have ever gotten a potion?"

"I don't know." Shiro admitted. It all sounded so ridiculous now. "But you asked me once if someone could misuse them and I thought- I don't know, I just got paranoid. You never gave me a reason why you started leaving me presents and I thought that was it."

"Well, it wasn't." Keith grumbled. And just like that, emotions coloured his voice again.

"I know that now."

"So you love me?" Keith rested his hands on Shiro's, who were still holding his face.

"I do." Shiro smiled fondly. Then asked Keith what he had been wanting to ask for a long time. "Can I kiss you?"

"Only always." Was Keith's answer.

Kissing Keith's smiling lips immediately became Shiro's new favourite thing. Over his job, over the universe.

Life with Keith was easy.

Every day exciting. Every day memorable.

 

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr at cosmic-choclet


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